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Valencia. The finale at Valencia, Spain, marked the
end of a special season for BMW M in MotoGP. 2018 was the 20th season
for BMW M as “Official Car of MotoGP”. The BMW M Award for the fastest
qualifier is an integral feature of decades of involvement at the top
level of motorbike racing. Since 2003, this award has traditionally
been handed over at the season finale. One man seems unbeatable in the
race to claim the winner’s car: record holder Marc Márquez extended
his winning run in the BMW M Award, claiming the sought-after prize
for the sixth time running.

This year, Márquez was rewarded for his performances with the BMW M3
CS (combined fuel consumption: 8.5 l/100 km*; combined CO2 emissions:
198 g/km*). The official award ceremony took place on Saturday at the
MotoGP finale at Valencia. The car for this year’s winner was handed
over to Márquez by Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP organiser Dorna
Sports, and Markus Flasch, President of BMW M GmbH.

Márquez has already made history several times with the BMW M Award.
He won it for the first time in 2013, becoming the first rookie to top
the special ranking. In 2015, the Spaniard became the first rider to
win the BMW M Award for three consecutive years. He became the
exclusive record holder in 2016 with his fourth straight victory. In
the current 2018 season, Márquez won the BMW M Award with a total of
341 points, 73 points ahead of his closest challenger Andrea Dovizioso.

By choosing the BMW M3 CS as the BMW M Award winner’s car, BMW M GmbH
has provided a real highlight in the anniversary season. It is the
most powerful production car from the M3 series to date. It takes just
3.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. Its powerful M TwinPower
turbo inline-six-cylinder engine delivers a performance of 460 hp and
a torque of 600 Nm. A 7-speed M dual clutch transmission with
Drivelogic takes care of the power transmission in the BMW M Award
winner’s car. The adaptive M suspension in the BMW M3 CS guarantees
the highest dynamic handling right up to the limit. The sporty
appearance of the car is highlighted by the paintwork in Frozen Dark
Blue, the 19-inch light alloy double-spoke wheels, the full leather,
fine-grain Merino bi-colour upholstery, as well as further fittings
highlights such as the M steering wheel in Alcantara.

“I can hardly believe that I have won the BMW M Award for the sixth
time running,” said Márquez at the award ceremony at Valencia. “One
year ago, I announced here that my objective for 2018 was to claim
this sixth victory - and I have actually managed it. That makes me
very proud. Now I can hardly wait to get behind the wheel of this
fantastic BMW M3 CS. I want to thank BMW M GmbH for providing the BMW
M Award as an accolade for the fastest qualifier. This shows special
appreciation for us as MotoGP riders. The prospect of winning this
prize provides even more motivation for us when qualifying starts on Saturdays.”

“We are delighted with the successful partnership with BMW M, which
now spans two decades. In BMW M, we have been fortunate to have a
strong and reliable partner at our side for 20 years now – and the BMW
M Award has long established itself as an integral part of the MotoGP
season. After all, we are presenting the award for the 16th time
today,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports. “This award is
fantastic. Our MotoGP riders produce top performances every time they
take to the track for qualifying – and what better way to honour these
performances than with an exclusive prize like the BMW M Award? Every
year, BMW M GmbH presents outstanding cars to the winners, and the BMW
M3 CS continues this tradition. It is no wonder that the prize is so
coveted among the riders, and I take my hat off to Marc Márquez.
Congratulations on this impressive sixth win in a row.”

“There are hardly enough superlatives to describe Marc Márquez’
successes in the BMW M Award,” said Markus Flasch, President of BMW M
GmbH. “He has prevailed regularly against some very strong competition
since 2013 and proved just how talented he is as fastest qualifier in
the MotoGP. The fact that he has now won the BMW M Award for the sixth
time running is more than just impressive. Marc has made history again
with this success in our anniversary season as a MotoGP partner.
Congratulations on this exceptional performance. We are delighted to
hand over this exclusive BMW M3 CS today. This prize is a token of our
appreciation for his outstanding performance. I am sure that it will
provide him with extreme driving pleasure - just like the winner’s
cars of the last five years.”

As with the scoring system for the race, the riders receive points
for their positions in qualifying at each Grand Prix weekend. The
rider who has picked up the most points at the end of the season wins
the coveted BMW M Award, in the form of an exclusive BMW M automobile.
The record holder is Marc Márquez, who has now claimed the BMW M Award
six times in a row. Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner each have three
wins to their name. Jorge Lorenzo has been honoured as the best
qualifier twice to date while Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden have each
won the award once.

For more information about BMW M GmbH and the involvement as the
“Official Car of MotoGP”, see: www.bmw-m.com.

Article Media Material.

BMW Group Streaming.

LA AUTO SHOW 2018.

CO2 emission information.

The following applies to consumption figures for vehicles with new type approval, September 2017 onward: The figures for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption are obtained in accordance with the specified measuring procedure (EC Regulation No. 715/2007), as issued and amended. The figures are for a basic-version vehicle in Germany. The bandwidths allow for differences in the choice of wheel and tire sizes and items of optional equipment and can be changed by the configuration.

Obtained on the basis of the new "Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure" (WLTP), the figures are converted back to the "New European Driving Cycle" (NEDC) for the sake of comparability. Values other than those stated here may be used for the purposes of taxation and for other vehicle-related duties relating to CO2 emissions.

More information about official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be obtained from the "guideline on fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and current consumption of new passenger cars", available here: https://www.dat.de/co2/.

The following applies to consumption figures for vehicles with new type approval, September 2017 onward: The figures for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption are obtained in accordance with the specified measuring procedure (EC Regulation No. 715/2007), as issued and amended. The figures are for a basic-version vehicle in Germany. The bandwidths allow for differences in the choice of wheel and tire sizes and items of optional equipment and can be changed by the configuration.

Obtained on the basis of the new "Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure" (WLTP), the figures are converted back to the "New European Driving Cycle" (NEDC) for the sake of comparability. Values other than those stated here may be used for the purposes of taxation and for other vehicle-related duties relating to CO2 emissions.

More information about official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be obtained from the "guideline on fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and current consumption of new passenger cars", available here: https://www.dat.de/co2/.